Cold wall refrigerator with openmesh produce containers



Feb. 19, 1952 c. E. HARTMAN' COLD WALL REFRIGERATOR WITH OPEN-MESH PRODUCE CONTAINERS Filed May 21, 1948 w 4 5 5. umnr. WHY

INVENTGR. Car/y/e E. Harfman A T70R25 Y unit and any desired control devices not shown.

The coil 5! which is here shown only diagrammatically, is preferably arranged to provide a somewhat greater cooling effect along-the top of the case than in the lower and bottom portion, which may be readily accomplished by suitable coil construction.

The rear wall of the case may be provided with a suitable superstructure l I, as shown in Figure 1, to provide shelves 12 for accommodating produce requiring less cooling and conditioning.

In combination with this case I provide a series of produce containers or baskets l3, preferably rectangular in form and of a depth corresponding substantially to the depth of the case.

These containers are dimensioned so that a selected multiple of the same, four in the case illustrated, substantially fill the case, leaving relatively narrow spaces M of uniform width between the containers, and similar spaces I5 between the end containers and the end walls of the case. From front to rear the containers are dimensioned to leave similar spaces l6 between the containers and the front and rear walls of the case. To insure proper and substantially uniform spacing all around each container, the latter may be provided with suitable spacing members H on the front and rear walls thereof.

The produce containers are supported on legs l8 which space the containers from the bottom wall of the case, and these legs are preferably made extensible, by means of screws I9 or the like, whereby the spacing may be adjusted.

In this manner the containers are spaced from each other and from the walls and the bottom of the case to provideair passages or fiues to set up the air movement or air flow forming the principal object of the present invention.

The bottom and the sides of the containers are made of open mesh material, such as strands of wire indicated at 20, except for the upper rim portions 2i thereof, which are made of solid material such as sheet metal to form a throat between the upper'end of each container and the case wall which serves to aid in the setting up of the desired air currents. 7

It should be understood, of course, that in use the containers are filled with produce, such as asparagus, string beans or the like, which cooperate with the containers in forming a substantemperature of approximately 28-31 degrees Fahrenheit and obtain a produce temperature of 36-45 degrees. The cooling effect depends somewhat upon the elevation of the container above the bottom of the case, the temperature rising as the container is raised and dropping as the container is lowered. But the container should not be lowered much beyond a point one inch above the floor of the case. It is possible, in this manner, to obtain difierent cooling effects for different containers in the same case.

The spacing between the containers and the side and end walls of the case may be about one inch and the solid or sheet metal portion of the container may extend downward about one-third of the way,

In operation a downward draft of cold air is set up in the passages or fiues formed between the walls of the case and the containers and the cold air moves into the bottom passage and slowly circulates through the produce in the container, absorbing heat units and either dissipating into the atmosphere or returning to the side and end walls in a more or less well defined circulatory path. The circulation is very slow, preferably about 10 feet per minute.

As the air moves downward in the fiues it also entrains moisture from the outside air, condenses the moisture and deposits the same on the outer surfaces of the individual parts of the produce. This keeps the produce in fresh condition, guards against wilting, and if the customer helps himself to a mess of string beans from one of the produce containers he will find the beans in the tially solid but porous body or mass allowing air to slowly trickle therethrough and furnishing the heat units to be extracted.

Inthe operation of the apparatus I find from actual experience that excellent cooling and moistening effects are produced. With the apparatus in operation, and the containers filled with string beans, for instance, the beans will not only reach, within a short time, a desired degree of coolness, but will also acquire a dewy coating of moisture which keeps the beans in a fresh and unwilted condition for an extended time period.

In a typical installation I employ a cold wall same fresh and cool condition as if he had picked them directly from the vine on a dewy moriing.

It is apparent that m a modified form the solid rim portions 2! might be made as permanent parts of the case, with the open mesh containers suspended therefrom, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. In refrigerating apparatus, an open-top refrigerator case having cooling means mounted within the walls thereof, and an open-mesh produce container disposed within the case, the container having side walls spaced from the side walls of the case so as to form unobstructed passages therewith adapted to set up circulation of chilled air through the container, and the upper edge portion of the container being made solid to encourage such circulation.

2. In refrigerating apparatus, an open-top refrigerator case having cooling means mounted within the walls thereof, and an open-mesh produce container disposed within the case, the container having side walls spaced from the side walls of the case so as to form unobstructed passages therewith and having a bottom spaced from the bottom of the case, whereby circulation of chilled air is set up through the passages and the bottom space into the container, and the upper edge portion of the container being made solid to encourage such circulation.

3. In a refrigerating apparatus, an open-top refrigerator case having cooling means within the wall means thereof, and an open-mesh produce container disposed within the case, the container having a side wall spaced slightly from a case side wall means so as to form a narrow vertical flue therewith, the flue being only approximately one inch wide to substantially preventthe building up of a counter-current when the air in the flue is cooled by the side wall means of the case and being adapted to set up a down-- ward draft of chilled air throughout the width thereof, and the flue being substantially unobstructed and having an upper end open throughout the width thereof and substantially on a level with the case wall means to cause outside air to spill over the edge of the case wall means for entraining in the downward draft.

4. In a refrigerating apparatus, an open-top refrigerator case having cooling means within the wall means thereof, and an open-mesh produce container disposed within the case, the container having a side wall spaced slightly from a case side Wall means so as to form a narrow vertical flue therewith, the flue being only approximately one inch wide to substantially prevent the building up of a counter-current when the air in the flue is cooled by the side wall means of the case and being adapted to set up a downward draft of chilled air throughout the width thereof, and the flue being substantially unobstructed and havin an upper end open throughout the width thereof and substantially on a level with the case wall means to cause outside air to spill over the edge of the case wall for entraining in the downward draft, and the container having a bottom similarly spaced from the bottom of the case to form a horizontal flue communicating with the vertical flue through the entire width thereof to guide part of the downward draft underneath the container.

5. In a refrigerating apparatus, an open-top refrigerator case having cooling means within the wall means thereof, and an open-mesh produce container disposed within the case, the container having a side wall spaced slightly from a case side wall means so as to form a, narrow vertical flue therewith, the flue being only approximately one inch wide to substantially prevent the building up of a counter-current when the air in the flue is cooled by the side wall means of the case and being adapted to set up a downward draft of chilled air throughout the width thereof, and the flue being substantially unobstructed and havin an upper end open throughout the width thereof and substantially on a level with the case wall means to cause outside air to spill over the edge of the case wall for entraining in the downward draft, and the container having a bottom similarly spaced from the bottom of the case to form a horizontal flue communicating with the vertical fiue through the entire width thereof to guide part of the downward draft underneath the container, and the container having adjustable legs supporting the same whereby the width of the horizontal flue may be closely adjusted with respect to that of the vertical flue for producing different cooling effects.

6. In a refrigerating apparatus, an elongated, rectangular, open-top refrigerator case having a horizontal top edge and having cooling means within the walls thereof, a series of open mesh produce containers disposed within the case, and means for narrowly spacing the containers from the bottom of the case, the containers being of tioned in the case to leave narrow vertical flues of substantially uniform width around each container, the widthof the flues corresponding substantially to the spacing between the containers and the bottom of the case.

7. In a refrigerating apparatus, an elongated, rectangular, open-top refrigerator case having a horizontal top edge and having cooling means within the walls thereof, a series of open mesh produce containers disposed within the case, and means for narrowly spacing the containers from the bottom of the case, the containers being of rectangular shape and of a height to have their upper edges disposed in the top plane of the case, and the containers being dimensioned and positioned in the case to leave narrow vertical flues of substantially uniform Width around each container, the containers having solid upper edge sections to accentuate the flue effect.

8. In a refrigerating apparatus, an open-top refrigerator case having cooling means within the wall thereof, and an open-mesh produce container disposed within the case, the container having a side wall spaced slightly from a case side wall so as to form a narrow flue therewith, and the flue being adapted to set up downward draft of chilled air therein and being located and arranged with respect to the case wall to cause outside air to spill over the edge of the case wall for entraining in the downward draft, said container also having a solid upper edge section adjacent the case wall to accentuate the flue effect.

9. In a refrigerating apparatus, an open-top refrigerator case having cooling means within the wall thereof, and an open-mesh produce container disposed within the case, the container having a side wall spaced slightly from a case side wall so as to form a narrow flue therewith, and the flue being adapted to set up downward draft of chilled air therein and extending upwardly to the level of the upper edge of the case wall so as to cause outside air to spill over the case wall edge for entraining the downward draft, said container also having a solid upper edge section adjacent the case wall to accentuate the flue effect.

CARLYLE E. HARTMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

